PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS / THE SEMIFINALS : DIVISION II : Los Alamitos Will Get Its Rematch

LONG BEACH —  Los Alamitos, considered a shoo-in to reach the Southern Section Division II championship game when the playoffs began, did just that Saturday night. It was just a little tighter fit than anticipated.

The Griffins labored through a nightmare of a half, then showed the stuff that dreams are made of by dominating La Crescenta Crescenta Valley in a 28-10 victory at Veteran’s Stadium.

“We had to get intense,” Griffin defensive tackle Robert Torres said. “I didn’t want to be turning in my gear tomorrow.”

Instead, the Griffins will be gearing up for a rematch with Esperanza in the title game. Los Alamitos, which has won 20 consecutive games, beat the Aztecs, 34-14, this season.

“Playing them again is great for us, it’s great for Esperanza and it’s great for the Empire League,” Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes said.

It was nearly great for Crescenta Valley. The Griffins may have been the defending Division II champions and the No. 1-seeded team this season, but that didn’t seem to bother the Falcons, who were coming off a 13-7 victory over Newhall Hart.

They forced turnovers and dominated the fist half, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

But no defense has been able to stop Griffin quarterback Tim Carey this season. The Falcons did as well as any team, but they were merely delaying the inevitable.

Carey, who has signed with Stanford, was 11 of 19 in the first half, then hit eight of 10 in the second half. He finished with 279 yards passing and one touchdown.

“I can feel when I’m on a roll,” Carey said. “Everyone gets in the groove.”

Los Alamitos (13-0) had four possessions in the second half and scored on three of them.

Carey hit George Sagen on a 10-yard touchdown pass to cap a 55-yard drive that gave the Griffins a 14-10 lead. They never looked back.

Sagen and Don Ruberio began finding seams in the Falcon zone defense which led to big gains. Sagen caught eight passes for 95 yards and Ruberio caught seven for 162, including two for 69 yards on the Griffins’ second possession of the third quarter.

That drive covered 84 yards and ended in a two-yard touchdown run by Marchant Wright. He later scored on a five-yard run to put the game well out of reach.

“I don’t feel there’s a team that can hold us to seven points,” Barnes said.

For one half, Barnes seemed to be looking at such a team.

Crescenta Valley confused and battered Carey. He was only four of nine in the second quarter, during which the Griffins did not get a first down.

The Falcon defense intercepted one pass and their special teams forced a fumble on the opening kickoff. That resulted in a 32-yard field goal by David Fielder.

But the Crescenta Valley offense amounted to only one play, an 87-yard run by Eric LaCom.

“That’s all they were going to get,” Torres said.

He was about right. The Falcons gained only five yards in the second half.

Fielder completed three of 14 passes and had two intercepted. He was also sacked five times, twice each by Torres and Steve Trammell.

“We wanted to be champions, so we had to play like champions,” Torres said.

For one half, the Griffins did just that.

*

CV--FG Miller 32

LA--Wright 2 run (Kolasa kick)

CV--LaCom 87 run (Miller kick)

LA--Sagen 10 pass from Carey (Kolasa kick)

LA--Wright 2 run (Kolasa kick)

LA--Wright 5 run (Kolasa kick)

LEADING RUSHERS--CV: LaCom 8-100; LA: Wright 18-51. LEADING PASSERS--CV: Fielder 3-14-2, 30; LA: Carey 19-29-2, 279; LEADING RECEIVERS--CV: Miller 2-28; LA: Sagen 8-95, Ruberio 7-162.

Attendance--5,500